


Eternal Return

by Sovietgod



Category: Journey into Mystery, Loki: Agent of Asgard, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Ragnarok!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-15
Updated: 2014-08-19
Packaged: 2018-02-13 07:53:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2143026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sovietgod/pseuds/Sovietgod
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki could never forgive and Odin would never forget. And so, the cycle that is Ragnarok will forever take place.<br/>But when a young Loki learns the truth of the wheel, will he be able to let go of his anger and take the necessary steps to put a stop to the cycle once and for all?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The Beginning of the End

Odin, son of Bor, finally believed the war with Jotunheimr to be coming to an end. The enemy forces were few and far between as he led his warriors on a storm of the last of the frozen strongholds, searching for the Jotun king. Deeper into the tunnels the Aesir delved, the air growing colder the further into the mountain side they went. What few Jotun they encountered--too weak or too small to flee--were slaughtered. So far as the Aesir were concerned, a small mercy to the abandoned Giants.

 

At every corridor passed, Odin divided his warriors to scout the tunnels. Each soldier left praying for the honour to be the one to find the Giant king, Laufey, but only Odin knew their hopes were in vain. Years ago, he ventured these halls during the first Jotun uprising, had committed to memory the pathway leading directly to the king's chambers. By the time he stood before the mighty doorway he was alone. Wasting no time, he shattered the doors with a single blast of energy from Gungnir. A faint mist arose from the shattered ice, only slightly obscuring the Aesir King's vision as he crossed the threshold and scanned the room for signs of Laufey. 

 

"I did not think you foolish enough to come this far, All-father."

 

Odin cast his glance to the corner of the room where Laufey loomed, a glare in his red eyes and a snarl on his lip. A thick, purple blood oozed from wounds littering the Giant's body.

 

"Your Giants are dead, Laufey, your palace in ruins, and the Casket taken to Asgard. Had you stopped this senseless rebellion in its early stages, you might still have a realm to rule. But the time for negotiations has long passed. You will come quietly and face Asgardian justice if you wish to retain any dignity you have left." Odin did not trust the giant to co-operate, yet paused while readying his weapon when he noticed a small bundle harshly pressed to Laufey's side.

 

Following the All-father's line of sight, a sneer broke upon Laufey's face. "This runt is what's left of my lineage." His eyes rose to meet Odin's. "I believe you saw to the deaths of his brothers."

 

Odin remained silent as Laufey set the babe on the ground and then stood to his full, towering height. He watched as the Jotun approached in a failed attempt to intimidate the Aesir. Now alone, the child began crying, his screams echoing in throughout the cavern.

 

In a swift movement, Odin drove the point of the spear into Laufey's gut, a pained roar from the Giant. Odin sidestepped the Jotun king who now lay curled on the ground, clutching his fresh wound. He grabbed the babe and cast a glamour over him, disguising his Jotun flesh with that of an Aesir. The child's crying only intensified as his skin warmed over, unable to naturally adjust to Jotunheimr's temperature.

 

"One day this child will return, and when he does he will be king. Until then, you will keep your life, and with it, your realm. You will sire no more sons, and you will wage no more wars." Odin cast a sidelong glance at the heaving Giant as he left the room. He need not wait for any reply from the giant, as the All-father had no concern for any of Laufey's complaints. 

 

"Loki," the Jotun King coughed out, "is what I named him. By no other name will he receive my throne."

 

Odin neither replied nor turned to acknowledge the Giant's words. On he walked toward the exit, his warriors gradually joining him, until all stood outside the palace.

 

Tyr, Odin's most trusted warrior, approached the All-father, a question on his lips that he never managed to voice as the child was thrust into his arms. By now the babe had stopped crying, although he still shivered.

 

"Take this child back to Asgard, I would have my queen nurse him."

 

"My king--"

 

"I will not take questions, Tyr. You will gather the warriors and return to Asgard. Bring this child, this... Loki to Frigga and tell her I will return within several weeks' time."

 

Tyr gave a curt nod before stalking off to gather the warriors. Odin watched briefly as he walked away, scanning the damage of the battlefield. Valkyries gathered the souls of fallen Aesir to cart them off to the halls of Valhalla. Later they would return to drag the souls of the Jotun to Nifelheimr. 

 

His attention was drawn back to his warriors at the call Tyr made to Heimdall. When all of the Asgardians had left, Odin began his journey. 

 

~

 

For days he walked, to the edge of Jotunheimr and further. Ice turned to dark, and dark turned to an overwhelming heat. Still, Odin travelled on. Through the fires of Muspelheimr and further still. To the base of all the nine realms he walked without rest.

 

Farther still was his goal, as he navigated the cracks in the universe, filled with naught but the void, that made up the roots of the World Tree. The fabelled dragon, Niddhogg, although eyeing the All-father's movements, posed no threat to the king as he was far too engrossed in the gnawing and destroying of Yggdrassil's roots. Odin continued on without fear and without looking back until at long last he reached his goal. Unbeknownst to him, the pathways that led him here had gone, leaving him in a vast emptiness, accompanied only by a well.

 

Voices stirred around him as he approached the well, intensifying the closer he got. Voices soon became shadows, and shadows became figures.

 

"Norns," Odin began, his voice rough and haggard from his journey, "I would seek your wisdom."

 

"Our wisdom, he says?"

 

"You have come a long way, All-father."

 

"Been expecting this one a while, have we not?"

 

"Here sooner than we thought,"

 

"Sooner, but right on time."

 

Clearing his throat, Odin took a step forward, "Great Norns, I come from victory over Jotunheimr--"

 

"We know."

 

"We knew the outcome before the war started."

 

"And we know why you have come."

 

"Then tell me what I have come to learn." Odin ground out as respectfully as he could muster, not being used to treatment other than what a king deserves.

 

"Ask, and we will tell you."

 

After a steadying breath, Odin began.

 

"I would seek knowledge of the future. Jotunheimr is stopped now, and I would know of any future uprising. I would learn of Asgard's future and all her secrets. I ask to see. What of my son? What of the realms? I would see everything that crosses the realms, know everything, present and future. As king of Asgard and father to all, I would have this knowledge gifted to me."

 

"Gifted?"

 

"You would take all, in return for nothing?"

 

"If you wish to see--"

 

"To see, you need to give your sight."

 

"We will take that with which you see--"

 

"--And we will leave you with  _ sight _ ."

 

Long fingers of shadow approached Odin All-father, but he did not back away or cower. Odin stood his ground with his head raised as the tendrils of shadow reached him and pulled. They dug into his skull, around his eye, and tore. 

 

Odin dare not scream as the Norns ripped from him his right eye. Blood dripping down his face, Odin watched on as his eye was brought above the well, where it seemed to hover.

 

"Now,  _ see _ ."

 

The shadows cleared, leaving only his eye and the well before him. For a few seconds, his eye hovered before dropping into the well and sinking like a ball of lead. Odin ran to the edge and gazed deep into the waters.

 

This is where he saw everything.

 

~

 

For many days and many nights, Odin ventured back to Asgard. The power and knowledge he now kept within him a heavy burden. Up through the roots of Yggdrassil, across the realms and finally into the golden city of Asgard. Circling above the gates, he spied three ravens, as old as the city itself.

 

"Huginn, Muninn, Hescamar." He called out, bestowing each bird with a name, and a gift of his all-sight. "You will be my eyes upon the realms. Through your eyes I will see everything presently happening, you will bring attention to me what must immediately be dealt with, and will keep all other knowledge until asked for." 

 

Huginn and Munnin took flight, off to their new duties of monitoring the realms, while Hescamar took perch on Odin's shoulder, ready to whisper in the king's ear what his brothers spied across the realms.

 

Odin ignored the stares as he walked through the city, making his way toward his palace. Odin had yet to cover what was left over from where his eye had been. When at last he reached his throne room, Hescamar took flight, moving to perch upon the throne. Odin all but crawled up the steps to Hlidskjalf, pouring the rest of the Norn's gift into the throne. 

 

With a sigh of relief he said to no one in particular, "From this throne, I shall see all. Past, present, and future." 

 

Word of Odin's arrival had doubtless made its way through the entirety of the palace by now. Frigga burst into the throne room, their young son, Thor, at her heels.

 

"Several weeks?" She exclaimed as Odin stood and turned to face her. "By the Norns, my dear husband, you have been gone months! No word, just a short message fro--"

 

"Father, your eye!" Thor gave a yell, running to the All-fathers side. Odin held out a hand to stop the boy from latching on.

 

"Thor, retire to your chambers," the king sighed. "I must speak with your mother in private." After a moment's hesitation, the young prince nodded and stalked off. "My queen, I--"

 

"And what of your eye? Husband, I cannot bear seeing you like this. And this child, Loki? Odin, you must explain."

 

"In battle, my love, is where I lost my eye." Frigga gave him a disbelieving look, and Odin sighed. "I cannot hide anything from you, can I? I travelled to bottom of the World Tree. There I saw the Norns." And so Odin explained all he had seen and heard. 

 

"And what of the boy?" The queen urged.

 

"Laufey's get. Small for a Frost Giant, isn't he? We shall raise him to be a proper prince, as Thor's brother."

 

"I had gathered you meant him to be raised as a son, but a Frost Giant? I am pleased that you spared the babe, but Odin, can we truly raise a Jotun in the halls of Asgard?"

 

"We must. I mean for him to claim his rite to the Jotun throne when he is of age. I would have peace across the realms," the king said darkly.

 

"You have no faith in your plan?"

 

"I was able to discern some of the future while I carried the Norn's gift swirling about my mind. Our worlds' end will happen within our life cycle, and it will be brought on by a giant. The future was... clouded as I had seen and heard so many things all at once, but I believe this giant to be Laufey's son."

 

Frigga wiped away a tear she had shed and finally moved to embrace her husband. "Come now, my love, no more talk of dark times. We shall rejoice and feast for Asgard's king has returned. But first we'll need you cleaned up and your eye covered."

 

~

 

In the following years, all of Asgard watched as the princes grew. Thor, ecstatic to have a new brother, quickly took on the role of older brother and made sure to always look out for and teach Loki when he could. As Loki grew to walk, and learned to speak, the boys became near inseparable. The people grew to love their new prince just as much as the older one. 

 

While all of Asgard had their eyes on the crown princes, Odin kept his eye on the future. For hours, he would sit upon Hlidskjalf and read the future. Ragnarok would one day be upon them, and Loki would be the one to initiate the event. 

 

When he voiced his concern to Frigga, she only replied with, "Nothing to worry, my love. The future is far from here. We will raise this boy with love, and he will in turn love this city as his home. Give it time, the future will change and Loki will be no worries to any of the realms."

 

But as fate would have it, Odin had made a terrible mistake. In his worrying, he failed to notice the servants cleaning within earshot of the conversation. Servants, with nothing but their duties to keep them occupied, often turned to gossip.

 

So as the days went on, the prophecy of Loki bringing about Ragnarok became widespread. Try as they might, Odin was able to use his Odinforce to cause the realm to forget what they had learned, but the realm would forever feel the uneasiness and distrust toward Loki, because all could never truly be forgotten. By the time Loki was old enough to begin his lessons, it became clear that Thor was the favourite of the princes. Not to be distressed, Loki only tried harder for the realm's approval.

 

Unbeknownst to Odin, the path to Ragnarok had already been started. For when he looked into that well, the first mistake in this cycle had already been made.

 


	2. Chapter One

 

Loki and Thor were making their way to the training arena after having finished their history lessons. Eight years had passed since the end of the Jotun rebellion. 

 

"And then Father burst into Lofey's"--"

 

" _ Laufey's _ ."

 

"Fine, Laufey's room and he cut him up!" 

 

"I know, Thor, I was there when Alvíss taught us, too!"

 

Thor grinned and threw an arm around his younger brother. "I know! But aren't you excited? Father did all of that to protect the nine realms!"

 

Loki tried his hardest to look unimpressed at his boisterous older brother, but in the end couldn't help but smile at Thor's enthusiasm. "I guess it  _ is _ impressive, what Father did."

 

"Exactly! And thanks to him, Laufey is stuck to rule all of that ice for eternity!"

 

Thor continued his excited talking while they hurried to the arena, Loki only piping in to correct details Thor could not remember. 

 

By the time they got there, training had already started. The master swordsman, Jari, had started Volstagg and Frandral--two boys only marginally older than Thor and Loki--sparring. The princes were met with an aggravated look. Quickly, they warmed up and grabbed their wooden weapons, an axe for Thor and a short sword for Loki. 

 

As per their teacher's instructions, the four boys practised particular moves and stances before being paired off to spar.

 

Thor easily overpowered his sparring partner, Volstagg, and was readily complimented by the teacher. Not to be outdone by his brother, Loki put forth as much effort as he could to win, but in the end had no such luck.

 

"Prince Loki, you need to practice more if you ever hope to catch up to your brother." Jari sighed as he pulled the younger prince off the ground. 

 

"It's not that!" Loki protested, "It's the weapon. It doesn't feel right."

 

"If it's too heavy for you, that means you have to practice  _ more _ ." 

 

"It's not heavy! I can lift it just fine... It doesn't feel  _ right _ ."

 

"And that's what you said about the axe, and the hammer, and the spear. You must pick a weapon and stick with it. Look at Prince Thor." Jari gestured, "Thor is a natural with the axe. But he also practices."

 

At mention of his name, Thor bound over. "Exactly, brother! One day I'll be strong enough to kill the Frost Giants just like Father! And I'd like you to be at my side when I do."

 

Loki gave a small smile to is brother.

 

"Thor, Loki will never be able to do that!" Frandrall yelled from the side. "The best he'll see is the trophies we bring home." 

 

Loki's smile had faded quite quickly. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he was just able to stop them from falling. After a few deep breaths and with a determined look on his face, Loki turned to their teacher and said, "I think I'd like to sit this session out."

 

"Out of the question, my Prince. You need to practice more than these boys. You are younger, so of course they will win most of the time."

 

" _ All _ of the time." Loki corrected.

 

" _ Most _ of the time. Now pick up your sword and let's resume."

 

"And who are you to tell a Prince of Asgard what to do?" Loki yelled before turning and storming off out of the arena.

 

"Lo--Prince Loki, come back. Your father ordered that I train you!" 

 

The prince paused and turned around. Meeting his trainer's eye, he gave a mischievous smirk and said, "I do what I want." and then finally turned and left. Thor called after his brother, but did not pursue.

 

Loki made his way to a secluded area of the palace gardens. He lost track of how long he sat there brooding. Why hadn't Thor stood up for him? He claimed his love for Loki on a daily basis, but he couldn't stand up to his friends. Not that Loki knew Thor had only wished to not be in trouble as Loki surely would be. Mind clouded by anger and the perception of a young child's mind, Loki could only see how this scenario had be set up against him.

 

It was some time after that Frigga found him in the gardens. She knelt beside him and pressed a hand to his back. "Loki, Jari informed me that you left your training early." She rubbed small circles on his back in a soothing manner.

 

"I didn't want to be there."

 

"He told me that, too."

 

They sat in relative silence for a few more moments. Loki curled up, hugging his knees to his chest, and Frigga knelt beside hm, still rubbing his back.

 

"Loki," she began, "it is important for all Asgardian boys to learn how to protect themselves and their home."

 

"But I'm not good at it! Not like Thor."

 

"Thor was not good at first, you know." She smiled when he looked up in disbelief. "It's true. When Thor started training years before you, he was worse than the other boys." At this, Loki laughed. "But you know what he did? He got better. He tried his hardest and now he's the best fighter his age. Give it time, my sweet, you'll learn just as quickly as your brother did." 

 

Loki pondered over what his mother just told him. Knowing about Thor's failures did make him feel somewhat better. "Mother, I think I'd like to be alone again?" He looked up, putting on his best pout. Frigga only smiled and kissed the top of his head before making her way out of the gardens.

 

"Don't stay by yourself for too long, Loki. Thor was quite sad to see you run off, I'm sure he would be very thrilled to see his little brother again today before the feast."

 

Resting his head on his knees, Loki heaved a sigh. He sat around thinking of ways to sneak in extra training without the older boys finding out. He didn't want them to see hm fail any more. He fantasised about one day going out in to the arena and being able to beat even Thor at hand-to-hand combat. That thought put an enormous grin on his face. In the end, he spent much more time thinking about all the praise he would get for being better than Thor than he actually did planning when he could sneak in some extra practice. 

 

Loki was brought out of his day dream by a loud, rough clacking sound. Jumping slightly, he looked up to spy a small black and white bird standing a few feet ahead of him.

 

"Hello, little Magpie," he said, holding out his hand toward the bird. It made no move to get any closer to him, but is also didn't fly away. Keeping his hand outstretched, he continued talking to the bird. 

 

"You know, I had hoped to be alone. But I guess I don't mind your company. You can't talk to me about my brother or my responsibilities. You're just going to sit there and listen, aren't you?" He smiled.

 

"I was sparring earlier." A pause. "I'm not very good at it. Mother thinks I just need to work at it. Everyone does. She told me Thor wasn't a natural at first, but I think she was lying...

 

"He's not as good at other things, though. He can't even remember names from our history lessons. And you should see him struggle when we learn maths. He thinks that a king doesn't need to know these things, that he has people who do that for him. He's wrong, though, isn't he?" By now the bird had hopped closer and Loki had lowered his hand right in front of it.

 

"When he's king, people could be stealing right from under his nose, but he wouldn't even notice. That why I have to stick close to him, to double check everything. He'll do the ruling, but I'll do all the thinking. I want to learn everything there is in Asgard. In all the nine realms. I'll learn it all so Thor doesn't have to." At this, the magpie perked up. It flew past Loki's head and landed a few feet behind him. The bird stared at him expectingly.

 

When Loki didn't move to follow the bird, it flew toward him and then doubled back to its perch behind. Curious, Loki stood and walked toward the magpie. At this, it flew a few more feet and then resumed its staring. This went on for several more feet before the bird was able to fly freely and have Loki follow as closely behind as he could.

 

The magpie led him through the castle and eventually found perch on an urn outside a set of grand doors.

 

"The library?" Loki said in disbelief. He already knew about this place, he had often spent his free moments here. The bird flapped toward the door and landed back on the urn. Taking the hint, Loki opened the doors so the magpie could fly in.

 

Chasing after, he followed the bird all the way to a hidden corner of the library. Marvelling in awe at the sight of such ancient and probably forgotten books, Loki didn't even think to thank his friend before reaching to grab a book off the shelf. He paused before laying a hand on any book. No, he wasn't going to just grab a book at random. Closing his eyes, he thought for a moment before reaching to grab a book off a higher shelf. 

 

Blowing some dust off the cover, he found the book to be in terrible condition. Most of the cover could not be read. The only word he could make out had been " _ Seidr. _ " Opening it to find the pages mostly intact. 

 

He absolutely adored what he read. Tales of mages and sorcerers, using powers far beyond that of any warrior to vanquish foes and bend the world to their will. He mouthed each word as he read silently, dragging his index finger along the lines to ensure he didn't miss a single word. Hours later (after having missed all of his lessons for the day and most likely the feast) Loki had finish that first book, and began a search for more about  _ seidr _ . While the stories were amazing, he wanted to learn how.

 

The magpie, who had been watching Loki the entire time he read, had a certain glint in its eye as it flew onto an adjacent shelf and began chirping for Loki's attention. 

 

"You're still here?" Loki gave the bird a genuine smile. He grabbed a book off the shelf that the magpie had be scratching in front of. "You must be quite the lucky bird," he said. "First you show me this fantastic part of the library, and now you found a book that might actually help me!" He beamed as he scanned through the book. This book was more about the history of  _ seidr _ as opposed to tales of its uses. It even had details pictures of necessary runes and even better descriptions on how to use them. 

 

A quick scan of the area told him that he did not, in fact, have any quills or ink to write with. Torn between frustration and excitement, Loki scanned the shelves quickly and snagged another book that looked like it had promising information about magics. Before he left the library, he turned to the bird and thanked it. 

 

"I feel as though you understand me. Silly, isn't it? You're just a bird after all. But I am truly thankful for this. I'll see if I can sneak some seed out to the garden for you tomorrow and every day after."

 

The bird watched as Loki took off out of the library, books tucked under his arm, and presumably back to his chambers. It gave its feathers a short ruffle before gliding out the nearest open window it could find.

 

~

 

The first thing Loki did after sneaking back to his rooms was grab his writing utensils and attempt some runes. The first attempt had nearly blown up in his face, having tried what was supposed to be a simple illumination spell. 

 

He quietly cursed himself for having charged right into this, much like his brother would, instead of fully preparing for it. 

 

And so he took to the slow process of reading his books. Loki was determined to cast just one spell before retiring. He made attempts after every chapter or so, with no such luck.

 

Outside his window sat the magpie from earlier. The bird watched all of the tried and failed attempts with the same gleam in its eye from earlier. It made no attempt to fly into the prince's room, nor did it find any amusement in the boy's failures. It simply watched.

 

In the early hours of the morning, not long before the sun began to rise, Loki managed to pull off the spell. He broke a piece of pottery and used a palm-sized shard as the base. Carving out the runes for light and containment on both sides of of the piece. Sure enough, when the final rune was carved, the pottery shard slightly illuminated the room around him. The dull light did not extend very far from the shard, but it was there none-the-less. 

 

Loki felt a mix of anger and disappointment boil in his stomach as he nearly growled at the pathetic light. The light shone brighter and brighter at this; the shard itself grew an intensified heat until Loki could no longer hold it in his hands. It shattered when it hit the ground, the light disappearing and leaving the room significantly darker.

 

Blinking the stars from his eyes, the prince shot over to where his books lay on the table. He frantically flipped through page after page, looking for an explanation, all the while trying to ignore the burns that had developed on his hands from the attempt at magic. The books had explained that the use of runes draws magic from the realm, the success of the spell dependent on the placement and execution of the runes themselves, and Loki had thought they could not be altered from there.

 

A smile broke out on his face as he read further into the book. A rune spell  _ could _ be altered, but only by the  _ seidr _ of an outside force, a mage's. But not just any magic would work, it had to be stronger than that of the spell that was bound by the runes. 

 

~

 

A routine developed in the younger prince's life after that night. He would attend his meals and his lessons, spend time with Thor (at their mother's request), and in the wee hours of the night, he would train his self-taught  _ seidr _ . 

 

He never did see that magpie again, although he did make good on his promise to leave feed out on a few occasions. Often he would notice a quick flash of black and white out the corner of this eye and would hope it was his friend.

 

Upon return to weapons training, Loki requested that he be trained on throwing knives and daggers, as he had learned they were a common weapon amongst mages. When Jari refused to teach "a woman's weapon" to a Prince of Asgard, Loki simply stopped attending those lessons. He stole some daggers at one point and practised with those on occasion, but he mostly filled his new time slot with reading any and every book in the library.

 

Days turned to months and months into years. Loki followed his routine as closely as possible, and with his practice, his powers as a mage grew. By the end of the first year he no longer needed runes for simple spells such creating fire or light, and had already begun learning illusions. Another year still, and he was able to glamour small objects into appearing as something else. A third year, and he could conjure illusions, as well as cloak himself with invisibility (albeit, for only a few seconds.) He often used his new-found talents to prank servants and the occasional dignitary that visited the palace. 

 

Although never seen by the prince, the magpie often followed and watched him, observing his progress. On several occasions the bird had successfully intervened and prevented anyone from accidentally stumbling upon the prince as he practised his  _ seidr _ . 

 

All in all, Loki had become quite reclusive in the past three years. He still loved his family and enjoyed the company of his brother, but he needed as much time alone as he could get in order to perfect his skills. Odin fumed, not liking the odds that these behaviours could lead them closer to the path of Ragnarok, and while Frigga was concerned for her adopted son, she assured her husband it was simply a phase.

 

On his twelfth birthday, it had been decided by Odin that Loki had waited quite long enough to postpone his training. He was to resume training with the older boys the following day. Instead of protest like a younger Loki would, the prince simply nodded. He had been training his own skills privately and felt it was high time to make them known.

 

And so the following day, Loki strode proudly into the arena, a set of small knives hidden about his person and runes of protection and balance stitched onto the inner layers of his clothing.

 

By now, Thor, Frandrall and Volstagg had been using real weapons in their training. Loki chose an oaken staff, the upper half gilded in steel. Jari had protested his choice, but Loki adamantly stood by his decision. 

 

Pairing off to spar, Loki found himself once again facing Frandrall. Loki tried his hardest to ignore the japes Frandrall made toward him and he waited for the instructor to initiate the sparring matches. 

 

Frandrall wasted no time in lunging at the younger prince, swinging his sword artfully, although unsuccessfully.

 

Loki dodged and parried all of Frandrall's swings. Thanks to his protection runes, the sword had always failed to hit its target, and the balance runes aided him in keeping his footing while he danced around the aggravated blond. 

 

As fate would have it, Loki felt a familiar tug at his  _ seidr _ , signalling that his runes would wear off shortly. He had long since learned to sense when the bond was weakening. Not wanting to be shown up yet again, Loki summoned an illusion spell causing the sword's grip to appear as a snake coiling itself around Frandrall's hand. Frandrall yelped and threw the sword to the ground, giving the prince an opening to knock the older boy to the ground. 

 

Thor had bested Volstagg some time ago, and so had seen the latter half of his brother's match. A look of awe graced his face at Loki's victory. He ran over to congratulate his brother, followed by numerous questions spewing from his lips.

 

When did you learn to do this? How did you disarm him so easily? Where did you learn such outstanding footwork? Who taught you?

 

The questions didn't seem to stop, and Loki just smiled, absorbing the praise. But naturally, his positive attention was cut short by a cry out from the embarrassed blond still sprawled out on the ground.

 

"He cheated! Used some kind of trick upon me!"

 

Thor turned to his brother and asked, "Is it true, Brother? Surely you would fight with honour."

 

"I fought using my skills, as he fought using his." Loki chose his words carefully, "Apparently my skills were greater than is."

 

At this, Frandrall stood and resumed his yelling. "The liar! My sword! He used some kind of curse on it!" His arms pointed wildly in the direction of his discarded weapon. The glamour had worn off shortly after it was cast, and so it was only seen as the regular sword it was. He looked a bit defeated at the sight of the plain weapon. "Well, the handle  _ was _ a snake."

 

Loki could barely contain his glee. He may have kept a straight face at this, but his pride and happiness showed through his eyes.

 

Upon coming to his final assessment of the situation, Jari dismissed training for the day as he dragged Prince Loki off to confront Odin. Loki cast a glance over his shoulder in time to see the excitement drain from his brother's face. He would most definitely be accosted by Thor later to share all the details of this meeting.

 

~

 

Loki remained silent for most scolding.  _ Seidr  _ was a woman's tool. A coward's tool. Some other belittling comment. Loki would stop this immediately. A reply was on his tongue,  _ But I read the history books. Great warriors,  _ male _ warriors, used  _ seidr _ ,  _ but Loki managed to keep it back. Father was angry enough as it was. Frigga had entered the throne room during the lecture, looking very conflicted. 

 

In the end, Odin All-father had ordered the library (and Loki's chambers) purged of all tomes and scrolls containing even the words ' _ seidr _ ' or 'magic.' Frigga had protested claiming to need these for the healers, an unspoken plea that her youngest son needed them, too. The All-father was having none of that as he personally saw to the destruction of such priceless information. 

 

"My love, I am finding it very hard to think of you as such right now." Frigga could not even look at her husband. The affectionate title forced out to hopefully soften the harshness of her voice.

 

"Frigga, it had to be done. Had you seen what I have seen--"

 

"Had I seen what? Our son, the son that  _ you _ sent to Asgard for me to care for, would find something that he loves and he excels in? The boy is stuck in his brother's shadow, for that I try to remind him that he is loved, and you would take the only joy from him?"

 

"It was a mage, my Queen. A Jotun mage that I saw bring about Ragnarok."

 

"Are your prophecies so important that you would forget to care for your children?"

 

"I am doing what I must. As  _ King _ of Asgard, and Father to all the nine realms, it is my duty to protect them! And if that means robbing a boy of magic to prevent the world's end, then so be it."

 

"Would you have him imprisoned? Killed? Surely a life without joy would be a worse fate." Frigga now wept, not only for her son's loss, but also for the disappointment her husband was bringing her.

 

"Not without just cause," Odin sighed. "He is young, he will grow to forgive this punishment. When he is older all will be explained and he will understand why all of this is necessary."

 

"Odin, know that you are my husband by choice and, despite your poor decisions, I do love you dearly. I hope you would understand that I would like some time alone. Possibly with my son, that I may try to console him."

 

Odin nodded, remaining silent as he left his queen to her own devices.

 

~

 

Loki lay on his bed, crying. Drawers, closets and chests all torn open, their contents strewn about the chamber floors. Odin's guards had certainly been thorough of their search. All of Loki's notes from throughout the years taken and destroyed, no book left in sight. 

 

"Never," he muttered to himself. "I'll never forgive him." Loki stood from his bed and stomped about the room, kicking some things in the general direction they belonged in and gathering others in his hands.

 

"Why couldn't I have this one thing? Thor gets everything! He can fight, everyone loves him, but when  _ I _ find something that Thor can't have, it's taken from me!" He paused his rant for a deep inhale, ready to give the air around him a thorough piece of his mind. However, he was stopped short of another word by a call from behind him. 

 

Turning to gaze in the direction the sound had erupted from, Loki was met with a pair of old, familiar eyes. Eyes that seemed so full of understanding as they watched the prince calmly. 

 

He breathed a sigh, anger subsiding as the adrenaline slowed its flowing through his system. "Hello, old friend." He said to the magpie seated on his window. "Have you come to give me another gift for my father to take away?" He barked bitterly, now choosing to clean up his room instead of intensifying the mess.

 

When the bird said nothing, as birds often do, Loki continued his speech in a much calmer voice. "He took it, you know. All of that knowledge. I can still do this," he waved a hand which briefly summoned a small flame above his fingertips, "but I can't learn more. I don't know where to begin."

 

But that old magpie knew. With one last call to ensure the boy was watching, the bird took off, flying three circles just outside the window before gliding down towards the garden. 

 

And that was when Loki realised what he should do, he followed.

 


	3. Chapter Two

 

Sneaking past the guards was easy for Loki. A glamour here, some excellent timing there, and Loki had swiftly made it out into the gardens. Despite the years it had been since he first met the magpie, he remembered exactly the place he had been sitting. 

 

Sure enough, the bird was there. It chirped before taking off into another part of the garden. Much like their first encounter, Loki chased after the bird. His longer legs made it easier to keep pace, although the bird occasionally had to loop back to ensure the prince was not lost. 

 

To the edge of the garden it flew, and Loki followed. The magpie swooped to the ground and hopped over to the hedges lining the inner side of Asgard's might wall. With quick movements, it inspected a section of shrub, hopped along, inspected some more, and so on. This continued until the bird gave a triumphant chirrup, and then proceeded to push itself through the bush.

 

Confused, and slightly concerned for the state of the bird's feathers, Loki followed after it, pushing branches and leaves, dirt and twigs out of his way. Eventually the plant matter no longer posed an obstacle, as the prince now found himself surrounded by a tight tunnel of stone. A hole in the wall! Loki thought it silly, that something like this be hidden away, so obvious. Someone must have noticed it before. 

 

The tunnel was dark and endless. Loki could neither see nor hear the magpie, or anything for the matter. It was near suffocating, and yet Loki could not find it in himself to call upon is  _ seidr _ to provide him some light.

 

Minutes? Hours? Perhaps longer? Loki didn't know how long he had been crawling. The tunnel grew no larger and no smaller, it just seems to go on forever. But these days, even forever has to come to an end. It started out as a dull light, that gradually grew to encompass all that he saw. Loki wasn't sure what was worse: the unending darkness, or the blinding light. 

 

Crawling forward, eyes squeezed shut and a hand in front of his face for good measure, the boy eventually bumped into something. He squinted his eyes and peered forward, still seeing nothing but this blinding light. One other thing had changed, though. Loki could smell fresh air. This was when he realised there was nothing above his head. Cautiously, he stood. And when at full height, he raised his head and looked up. Sure enough, there was the night sky, filled with unfamiliar stars.

 

So up he climbed.

 

It didn't take long to reach the end and he pulled himself out of that Norns-be-damned tunnel. The ground around him was sandy. Not the soft, light sand that littered the ground of the training pit, but a coarse, gritty variety. In the distance, he could see horizon of trees, this was the direction he decided to walk in. 

 

A familiar squawking stopped him before he could get very far. He turned to see the magpie perched upon a small, dying tree several feet behind where the tunnel used to be. Swallowing his fear, Loki approached the bird. It preened its feather for a few moments and then looked down to regard the prince, head cocked to the side as if you say,  _ Do you regret this?  _

 

Loki shook his head. "No. No, I rather think this was the right thing to do." His voice, he noticed, sounded somewhat older. Unbeknownst to him, that tunnel, that void, had entrapped him for two years and several months. 

 

Seeming to accept the answer to it's not-question, the bird flew off in the direction opposite the trees. Grey cliffs and dunes stretched out in the distance. Loki hesitated and gave a glance first toward the tree line and then toward the ground where his tunnel had been. Not wishing to be truly alone, Loki ran after the magpie. It flew high above him and always stayed within his sights.

 

~

 

Two, perhaps three hours had passed before Loki first collapsed. An admirable feat, Loki would have thought had he not been so exhausted and hungry. 

 

The magpie flew down toward him, hovering above the ground a moment and then ultimately deciding to land right by the boy's head. It began making it's annoying clacking noises, squawking and chirping until Loki looked up.

 

"Bird, I must rest. Mustn't you?" No answer. "We've travelled the Norns know how long and how far. And you cannot give me anything. No sip of mead, no bite of fruit." 

 

The magpie flew a few feet away. With a sigh, Loki crawled slowly after it. This went on a short while and it reminded Loki oddly of the first time he had followed the bird. The prince was led to a small cliff face, it leaned far enough over to provide some shelter. It seemed this cliff provided enough protection for a small patch of grass to grow. It wasn't much, but Loki was in no position to be picky. He ran, stumbling all the while, to this would-be shelter and lay himself down. The grass was rough, but provided better cushion than nothing against the rock and sand of the desert.

 

Loki rose with the sun, which regrettably had only been after a few hours rest. His magpie waited patiently while Loki stretched and relieved himself. When it took off again, Loki chose to walk after it. Running the night before had clearly been a mistake and he would not be making any more of those any time soon. At his leisurely pace, he was able to get a better view of the desert. Small plants grew, but none that appeared remotely edible. 

 

His stomach rumbled loudly, loud enough that he was sure his bird must have heard it. Briefly, he entertained the idea of eating the bird. But alas, he could not do without his only companion and guide through the barren wasteland. 

 

~

 

The second time the prince collapsed had been at midday. He figured the temperature itself wasn't too hot, at least compared to what he had learned of deserts. However, the gravel beneath his feet had been turning darker and was absorbing heat from the midday sun. 

 

His mouth was dry, his lips were cracked, every part of him ached. This impromptu rest was accompanied by the magpie pecking at his face and pulling at his hair.

 

It had to have been hours he lay like that, in a state just between asleep and awake, kept there by the incessant prodding of the bird. The sun was low in the sky when Loki finally had the strength to stand again. His hunger was still there as a dull throb, but had gone unassisted so long that he nearly forgot about it.

 

Throughout the rest of the afternoon and most of the night, Loki walked. He found it eerie that he had encountered no living being other than the bird that brought him here. No water, no animals, no Aesir or whatever race lived upon whichever realm he found himself in. 

 

On and on he walked, until he felt a drop of moisture on his face. Looking up, he hoped--nay, prayed--that it was rain. Bringing a hand to his face, he followed the trail to source of the moisture: his eye. A day and two nights of walking was what it took for Loki to break down. 

 

This marks the third, and final, time he collapsed on this particular journey. He sat there on his knees, crying and crying. For all his dehydration, his body sure did seem able to spare quite a lot of water for tears.

 

"Ah, Mother, Thor, it looks like I may never see you again." He murmured. "I don't know what compelled me to leave Asgard. I was furious, I know that. At Father? Nay, Odin. I care not to remember why, but I know I would not see a man like him as my father." 

 

The tears dried up, but still he sobbed. His magpie offered no comforted, and he was quite okay with that. 

 

He arose and continued his journey after some time. Walking faster than before, yet with no real sense of urgency. This bird stayed with him so far, so they must be going to a reachable destination. 

 

Eyes on the horizon and with a new determination, Loki walked.

 

And walked.

 

And walked, still.

 

Until his boring old horizon showed him something new. It looked like a structure, an arch in shape. A doorway perhaps? 

 

With renewed hope, he ran toward this archway. The bird flew on ahead, until Loki lost sight of it, but he knew where it went.

 

Hours later, he found himself at the foot of a great set of stone doors. The building itself was small, it maybe stretched eight feet back from the doorway. 

 

"Hm, it must be some sort of mausoleum or crypt? An ancient castle, buried in the sand, with only this tower to show?" He looked around, circled the building once, twice, and for the life of him could not find his bird. 

 

"Magpie? Where have you flown to?" He called, searching the skies. "You've nowhere to land but here. Nothing but desert and rock in every direction." He had found no way the bird could have possibly gotten in. The doors were sealed and the building had no windows.

 

He took a calming breath before pressing on the doors, finding them surprisingly light for such massive things made of stone. A short foyer led to a set of stairs leading down into the crypt; a torch hung upon the wall every ten feet or so. Not enough to fully illuminate, but well enough to not trip. The clacking call of the magpie echoing up from the crypt was all the encouragement Loki needed to descend the stairs.

 

Smirking, he used his  _ seidr _ for what felt like the first time in years. The little ball of light helped give him a better view of the place. Mind you, it wasn't much to look at. Brownstone walls and ceilings and stairs. 

 

Eventually the steps levelled out into an enormous room. He expanded his light as best he could, but still it could not reach the walls or the ceiling. Strewn around, he saw shelves upon shelves of books. Enough to rival even that of the library of Asgard.

 

As much as he wanted to read every book, he instead followed the sound of the birds noise.

 

"Bird, if you don't show yourself now, I might just follow through with my idea to eat you when I  _ do _ find you."

 

"Saying something like that won't get him to come out." A raspy, old voice said from somewhere in the room.

 

Loki gave an alarmed cry as he swung around, the simple ball of light erupting into a flame that Loki threw back and forth. He saw no one, and continued a slow walk, his whip of fire swishing back and forth, all the while that voice was cackling from all around him. 

 

Out the corner of his eye, a large, pale, green flame procured from nowhere. Whipping around to look at it, Loki spied a man. Tall and lanky, Aesir in appearance, he was seated on a wooden crate by the fire. Loki could not see much of his clothing, but could loosely make out a fur lined collar and an impressive set of metal horns upon his brow.

 

"Well come on, then. Take a seat." The man gestured to the empty spot across the fire, an identical wooden crate appearing as he did so.

 

Loki cautiously approached and when he did not immediately sit down, the man said,

 

"Not good enough for you? No, I suppose not. Not for a prince of... Asgard? Is that still what they call it these days?" A shrug and another flip of his hand, and the wooden crate transformed into a rather plush looking chair. 

 

Not wanting to lose his generosity, Loki immediately sat down. "So," the prince began, "You are the one who summoned me here?" 

 

"Summoned? I seem to recall you walking into my home unannounced."

 

"Your home?"

 

"Well, some might call it a prison, but never you mind."

 

"That bird, the magpie--"

 

"Yes, yes, your dinner? I'd really rather you not eat that one."

 

"You are his keeper?"

 

"No."

 

"He lives with you?"

 

"I wouldn't say  _ with _ ."

 

"Might I see him? To ask. I wish to know why he brought me here."

 

"Magpie aren't notorious for being chatty. I'd go as far as to say the don't speak. I'm not sure they can't, but I'm pretty sure they don't like to."

 

Loki's patience was being tested. He did not travel this long and far to be toyed with by an old fool.

 

"Sir," Loki had to pause to take a calming breath, "Do you know why I was brought here?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Will you tell me?"

 

"Yes. I rather think I should tell you everything."

 

Loki paused to see if he would continue. "Will there be a cost?"

 

At this, the withered man brought a hand to his chin. He stroked it while making thoughtful hums. "Yes." He grinned, a dark and evil thing, really. It was quite unnerving to Loki. "Your name."

 

"Excuse me?"

 

"Odd name for a prince." He sneered, looking at the flames.

 

"You want my name?"

 

"I don't often stutter."

 

"Loki. My name, that is."

 

At this the old man perked up, "Aha!" He exclaimed. "That would be why you're here."

 

"Because my name is Loki?"

 

"Yes, that's the only reason you could possibly get here, of all places."

 

Dropping the subject for now, Loki pressed, "And what might your name be? If we are to speak, I would know to whom I am addressing."

 

"Hmm," he thought a moment. "You might be able to get away with calling me Ikol."

 

Loki snorted. Hardly a creative thing to come up with on such short notice. "And what of your bird, Ikol? Whether he speaks or no, I should thank him for his assistance."

 

"Ikol."

 

"The bird as well?"

 

"Yes. As well?  _ As. Well. _ I don't like the sound of that. He doesn't have that name  _ as well  _ he and I simply share a name. Share a lot of things, really..." Ikol trailed off, making flippant motions with his hand.

 

Loki looked around to see if the motions drew out any magic. His expression had been so hopeful, but nothing happened. "You and the bird are the same?"

 

"You catch on quite quickly, Lo-ki." He put far too much emphasis on the prince's name. As though it felt wrong upon his tongue.

 

"Who are you?"

 

"I am Ikol."

 

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

 

"But that is the answer to what you asked."

 

"Why are you here?"

 

"To answer your questions."

 

Loki growled and stood up forcefully. He raised a hand, not in a violent manner, but to help accentuate his anger.

 

At this, Ikol laughed. "There!" He yelled, slapping a hand to his leg and pointing at Loki with the other. "There's the anger, the  _ rage _ that I was so familiar with."

 

"By the nine, what do you mean, old man?"

 

"Sit down, sit down. Stupid boy. It's high time I told you everything."

 

Loki lit up at this, and sat there expectingly. When Ikol spoke up, it was nowhere near what the prince had expected him to say.

 

"Well?"

 

"Well, what?" Loki looked confused. Ikol had promised to tell him everything, and here he was expecting Loki to speak. "You said you'd tell me everything at the price of my name."

 

"I lied. I often do that."

 

"Then how might I trust you?"

 

"There's no one else here to trust." Ikol gave a sinister grin and leaned over the flames. Now, Loki got a very good look at him. The old man had a face full of wrinkles, pale skin, and somehow a few distinct lines running vertically down his face from the corners of his eyes all the way to his jaw. His eyes were a vibrant green, too. Not what Loki had expected. "Boy, I'd like you to tell me your story first." When Loki failed to speak up, he continued. "I am old and I am greedy. I would have your story before I give you mine."

 

And so Loki told him. Of his home, his parents, his brother, the magpie, learning seidr. As he told the story, he remembered exactly why he had left in the first place. And so he told Ikol of Odin's greatest theft against him.

 

"But shouldn't you know all that? You were there, weren't you, Ikol? The magpie, you said he is you."

 

"He's a body of sorts. He is only me inside this cave, outside he is simply a bird." Loki didn't press. "But that does explain a few things..." Ikol trailed off.

 

"Such as?"

 

"You're starving. You don't know how to  _ live _ . You need to take the  _ seidr _ from the world and use it. Nourish yourself, bathe yourself, meet all of your comforts. You, yourself, have so much potential in the art of being a mage, but you need to be greedy. Take. Take the room's magic. Take mine, if you can."

 

"But how?"

 

"Read the books, they might tell you. But, then again, they might not." His grin was back, and Ikol looked Loki straight in the eyes. "Twenty years, boy. You will share my prison for twenty years and you will not leave. If you're still alive, and I'm still feeling generous, I'll tell you my story."

 

"And how can I tell you're not lying?" Loki called out.

 

Ikol's body began to fade, and with it, the fire. That grin, however, was the last thing he saw. A whispered, "You can't," was the last trace Loki had of the old man.

 

Loki used his  _ seidr _ to summon his own fire. Where the old man had sat, a text now lay. Opening it up, Loki found to be filled with information about the realms--all nine of them. It talked of magic was everything in the nine realms, and hinted as to how it might be harnessed. Loki began to reach out and take in the  _ seidr _ around him, feeling marginally better. He continued reading and learning. He especially took interest in the notes scribbled in the margins. Notes that looked unnervingly similar to his own hand.

 

~

 

And for twenty years, that was what he did. He fed off the room, had no need for sleep, and neither stone nor cushion felt any more comfortable than the other. He read all the books in the room, several of them twice, and he learned. 

 

Loki often found himself lonely, finding solace in the books that told stories, rather than taught lessons. In one tome all the names had been scratched out. It was written in a much neater hand than the notes from the first book he read, yet the script was still notable written by the same hand.

 

It told stories of two brothers, who often got into trouble. The younger usually being the one to fix their problems. It reminded Loki of his childhood with Thor, before he fell into his brother's shadow. 

 

But the brothers in the stories were much older. There were tales of hunting trips gone awry, of fooling Giants, of action and cunning, and the odd one of love. But every story had quite a similar ending. The younger of the brothers received punishment. The further in the journal he read, the more venom dripped from the written words.

 

By the time Ikol returned, Loki believed there was nothing magical he couldn't do. Illusions and copies were nothing, he could bend and shape matter, he supposed he would even be able to alter the will of another's mind, had there been anyone there to manipulate.

 

Loki needed no noise or movement to tell him his mirror had returned, he sensed the change in the world around him. It seemed this man leaving his intercorporal state created a massive disturbance.

 

"Well sit down, boy. I believe I have a story to tell."

 

Loki sent over a cocky grin. "I'd hardly think I'm just a  _ boy  _ anymore, old man." But he obeyed Ikol nonetheless.

 

Ignoring his jape, Ikol began his story.

 

The story told of two brothers. The closest of friends, and equals in each other's eyes. But the world didn't see them that way. The oldest, the golden child, was put before the younger. 

While both brothers performed great feats, the eldest's were always seen as greater. The crown prince could never do anything wrong, but the younger saw his faults. He loathed his older brother just as much as he loved him. How couldn't he? The oaf, no matter what the others said, would always be sure to credit his younger brother. He would always include the younger, and would never leave him behind.

Until one day he did. Far too caught up in the attentions from his adoring fans, the eldest failed to notice as the younger fell farther and farther back. Now, he remembered to wait for his brother occasionally, but that sadly did not account for most of the time.

The younger brother stewed in his anger and his jealousy. Anger turned to rage, and jealousy turned to greed. 

When his older brother was to be crowned as king, the younger had to put a stop to it. Jotun were led into the palace; for the younger brother, a trickster, knew all the ways in and out of their home. Through his sly and his cunning, the Trickster planted the idea that his brother should attack the Ice Giants' kingdom, to quell future attacks before they happen. The fight turned worse than expected.

 

"A Frost Giant grabbed my arm." Ikol said. "An Aesir's flesh would burn, bitten by the cold. But my arm froze," he stared hatefully at the offending arm that had jumpstarted the downfall of his life, "That was how I found out that I am Jotun, and not truly of the Aesir flesh I hide behind."

 

Loki's blood ran cold at this. He swallowed his fears and nodded for the old Trickster to continue.

 

The elder brother was banished to the lesser realm of Midgard. Unworthy of his weapon, Mjolnir, and her powers. 

The younger brother, while still in his palace home, was forced to take the throne in his brother's place. And he  _ loved _ it. Never would he admit to his subjects that he craved this. It was not the throne he wanted, but to be seen as an equal to his brother. But if being his brother's equal meant taking his position on the throne, who was he to question?

In the height of his reign, the younger attempted to destroy his brother. If he would never be equals when standing next to the banished sibling, then his sibling would never return. And if the Trickster could not bask in the glory and adoration of his older, adoptive brother, then no one would.

It was then that the Trickster realised the true potential of his greed. He wanted everything. All of the people and the power and the realms. But if he could not have it, he would destroy it.

When the elder prince returned, the Trickster fell. He returned and tried to take from his brother the Midgard that he held so dear. After failure, incarceration and forgiveness, the Trickster found himself free again.

 

"Shortly after I learned of a prophecy, Ragnarok."

 

Loki was visibly shaking by now. Ragnarok was a subject only whispered about behind closed doors and away from unwanted ears on Asgard. He knew what it meant.

 

"I learned that of all the people in the nine realms, I would be the one to start it! All I had to do was free one little serpent. And I thought to myself, I said, 'Ikol, you best not do this. Nothing is worth and end like this.' But that did not stop me. I could not have any of the realms, I could not keep my children, even my own mother's life was taken from me. But the worst of all? There was nothing I could take, nothing I could  _ have _ that would make me worthy of the love that oaf of a brother gave me. 

 

"So I took it all. I freed the All-father's brother, the Serpent, and I watched the realms  _ burn _ . But what good is taking everything if I, too, would be dead? I summoned some of the darkest magics I could find and, while in this very room, I bound my soul."

 

Loki steeled himself before asking, "Bound your soul to what?"

 

"Well, I had meant for just that little magpie, but my greed and my hatred was too grand for such a small body. Instead, my soul bound mostly to this room and part of it, the bird." He paused to give Loki a chance to take in the information. "He is not me, and I am not him. We are both bound to this room, my body and his spirit. He may leave, and I may know not what he does, but in the end he shall always be drawn back here."

 

"What happened, then? You said Ragnarok was the end, yet here I am, and here you are."

 

"It was. For a long while there was nothing. I had the glory of taking existence itself from the universe. But Ragnarok is a cycle, you see. Worlds grew and shrank, brothers loved and betrayed, life started and it stopped. Many cycles I have witnessed, and still I stand. My magic so powerful that even the Norns could not strip it from me! I think I should remain here, until the cycle is broken."

 

"And how would one do that?"

 

"I must learn to forgive, and my father must learn to forget."

 


	4. Chapter Three

 

"And where do I fit in, in all of this?" Loki whispered after several long minutes.

 

"I needn't say it, I fear you already know."

 

"I want you to. Say it, for me."

 

"My name is not really Ikol."

 

"I know."

 

"The path has already started in this cycle."

 

"I had feared."

 

"You will fail."

 

"And you are a liar."

 

"Loki, you are the first to find me here, and I trust you will not be the last."

 

With that, Loki left. The ghost of his former self could offer him no more. He brought Ikol's journal with him, as a reminder of who he used to be. When he crossed the threshold of the stone archways he entered all those years ago, he felt entirely renewed. A pulse of energy he felt told him the doorway was there no more.

 

Reaching his _seidr_ out, he searched for a small tear in the realms, much like Ikol the magpie had in the gardens of Asgard. The desert around him melted away as he allowed himself to travel.

 

Far past the branches of Yggdrasill, beyond stars, he ventured. He had his goal at the front of his mind as he travelled. Loki wished to right all the wrongs that Ikol had committed during his life.

 

He reached his goal in what felt like the blink of an eye, although he knew it had taken months, possibly years. Through the roots of Yggdrasill, he walked. Passed the dragon, Niddhogg, between the crevices of space and time, until he finally reached a well.

 

Loki approached the well, much like Odin had many years ago, and was stopped by the Norns, just like Odin. He gave them not a chance to speak.

 

"Norns, I seek the return of Odin All-father's payment."

 

Hushed whispers filled the air.

 

"Old One-eye's eye?"

 

"The harbinger himself wants the Tree's most precious treasure?"

 

"We know what he would do with it."

 

"Do we? This path is unclear, too much haze."

 

"And what would you bargain for such a prize?"

 

Loki smiled and gave the Norns a small bow. "I would bring an end to these cycles."

 

The Norns began talking among themselves. For many years they read the futures, and regarded the past. The Norns were older than time, and most certainly older than the Ragnarok cycle. The Well of Truth remained unchanged since the dawn of existence, and as such has collected the right eye of every Odin to walk the roots of the tree. They had seen every failure that had already passed and every one that will come to pass.

 

Never had they seen a future that would end the cycle. But after ten years, perhaps more, they decided could possibly be the one.

 

A tendril of shadow fished into the well, pulling out a small, black sphere, hardened with age, yet still it shone with lighthearted wonder that the first Odin had when he walked this path.

 

Loki knew better than to reach out and take the eye, and so he waited.

 

"This will be the one?"

 

"Had better hope so."

 

"He knows what happens when this doesn't work?"

 

" _If_ this doesn't work."

 

"Stuck forever in this damned circle."

 

"But if it does,"

 

" _When_ it does,"

 

"The futures will be free."

 

"And never again will we have to watch the beauty of creation suffer destruction."

 

When the Norns had finally left, all that remained in the space was Loki and the hovering eye of Odin himself. Loki cloaked it with his _seidr_ , for an item of this value must be seen nor held by no one other than him.

 

Loki set out once more on his goal. Following the journal left by Ikol, he visited all of the nine realms, intent to correct the wrongs his past life had committed. For even though he had done no ill against the beings of this cycle, he knew their spirits would hold an underlying need for retribution.

 

He began his quest on the outskirts of Svartalfheimr where a Dwarf lived in a cottage by the river. Loki approached as a humble traveller, seeking a bed for the night.

 

Upon entering the cottage, Loki took note that there was no metal to be found, a very odd thing for a Dwarf. When he was shown his chambers for the night, he saw that there were three beds in the room, which seemed to be a large number for the one person that lived there.

 

"I pray you don't think me rude for asking, but have you a family? I ask only because you seem to have so much room here at your cottage. I would hate to intrude upon one's sleeping quarters."

 

A pained look shot across the Dwarf's face, and he said, "It's ta early in the dae far such sad tales. Ah'll tell yeh after we've supped."

 

Loki and the old Dwarf remained seated at the table long after their food had been finished. A horn of strong ale sat in front of each man. Loki had very much wished to decline, but declining anything a Dwarf offers is seen as highly offensive and Dwarves were not well known for keeping their temper.

 

The Dwarf took a long swig of his ale, paused, and then drained the rest of the horn. Only after he refilled the horn did he begin telling his story.

 

Long ago, there had been a Dwarf king named Hreidmar. He was rough about the edges, but was liked well enough by the Dwarves who served under him. Far below the ground, his kingdom was, but that was a normal thing for an establishment of Dwarves.

Above all, King Hreidmar loved his three sons, and so he often took them above ground to a cottage he built with his own hands. There they would hunt and fish and sleep in the warmth of the sun.

His youngest son, Ótr, loved the surface the most. He often took the form of an enormous otter and swam the river which ran beside the cottage. One day, he stumbled upon the forgotten hoard of the long gone King Andvari at the bottom of a particularly deep part of the river. Being in the form of an otter often made him simple and greedless. Knowing that his father was as greedy and gold loving as any other Dwarven king, Ótr covered his body nose to tail in the gold and swam it back up the river.

Hreidmar was overjoyed with this gift. He charged his oldest son, Regin, with towing the gold back down to the caverns where they lived. But he was not to steal a single piece of his father's treasure. Hreidmar allowed Ótr to keep one piece of his find, which the king thought to be very generous.

Ótr chose to keep a ring that hung upon one of his whiskers. It was a simple, gold band, but he loved it nonetheless. Fafnir, the middle brother, found himself drawn to the ring. He made it his goal to have it to himself, no matter the cost.

That night, Ótr hid the ring away, as otters often do with something they like. Fafnir confronted his brother, demanding to know the whereabouts of the ring. When the otter refused to tell, Fafnir drew a knife and slew his brother. He skinned the otter, removing the head, feet and tail so that its skin would be unrecognisable and brought the meat back to be cooked for their supper. The king was not concerned when his youngest son did not return home, as he often left for days at a time.

In the days that passed, Regin took up fishing for his family, for his youngest brother had still not returned. In his net, he noticed a peculiar shine. When he saw it was his brother's ring, he determined to hold onto it until the otter returned.

That night, while all slept, Fafnir woke with a sense of urgency. Rising from the bed, he was drawn over to Regin's sleeping form. Clutched in Regin's hand was the ring that Fafnir had so desired. Wasting no time, he slit his brother's throat and at last held the ring in his hands.

Hreidmar woke at the commotion, and stood, horrified, at what his son had done. The king banished his son, but Fafnir didn't seem to care for he had all he wanted in the world. Fafnir took Regin's sword, Ótr's pelt, and every piece of metal he could find with him as he left.

Now he lays in a far away cave, the ring upon his finger, Regin's sword in one hand, Ótr's pelt in the other, and a hoard of treasure beneath his belly. For years he lay there with his possessions until his skin became gnarled and scaley. He grew to an immense size, and leathery wings sprouted from his back.

 

"All Ah've left of me sons is a dragon." A few tears had spilled from Hreidmar's eyes.

 

Loki remained silent, even after the story had finished. He nodded in understanding. _Odd_ , he thought, _Though the events of this tale differ from those which Ikol wrote about, the outcome had been the same._

 

The next morning, Loki thanked the Dwarf for his hospitality and set off onto the next part of his quest. He would spend several days and nights searching for the lair that Fafnir now resided in.

 

A week and some days later, he did stumble upon such a cave that would house the dragon. The beast was in fact in this cave, where he lay sleeping. Still clutched in his hands were Regin's sword and Ótr's pelt, and beneath his belly, a pile of treasures. The dragon awoke with a roar, having been stirred by a new scent entering his domain.

 

Loki remained some feet away, and Fafnir dare not move from his spot, lest he release his hold upon his brothers' belongings.

 

"Your father misses you, you know." Loki told the dragon. Fafnir may have lost his ability to speak, but he could still understand. "After all your atrocities, he still speaks your name with a certain fondness in his voice, the same fondness he has shown for your brothers." Fafnir growled, clutching his items closer to his chest. "He misses your brothers dearly, but I do not believe he blames you for this. Andvari was quite notorious for cursing his treasures, the worst of which he placed upon that very ring."

 

Fafnir drew his wings around him. His body heaved as a sound erupted from his mouth, a snort barely choked out. Dragons were greed personified and showed no remorse, so Loki supposed it was not odd that they were unable to sob as other creatures might. Eventually, he showed his head from between his wings. Fafnir's pupils no longer slit-like as a dragon's were. No, his eyes were round and full of remorse. To still be loved by his father after all these years and all he had done had softened his heart only slightly. He was still greedy and would remain a dragon until he could learn to let go.

 

Andvari's curse was strong, but Loki's magic was stronger. And so he laid another spell upon Fafnir that would restore him to his Dwarven state. "Raise the sword in your hand and cut off the finger which wears the ring. Use the pelt to clean the sword of your blood, and if you truly feel remorse, tears will spill from your eyes which you will use to clean your brother's fur. If you can overcome your greed, Andvari's curse will shatter."

 

So Loki didn't tell him that those steps were unnecessary. There was no clause that would cause the curse to break, only a more powerful magic could destroy the hex. Loki had only needed to know that Fafnir had learned his lesson.

 

With great struggle, Fafnir did as the mage commanded, and sure enough, Loki broke the curse with Fafnir none the wiser. A lie which hurt no one could not be so terrible, could it? Loki did not want to succumb to the same nature as Ikol, but he felt that this lie would be just.

 

~

 

Odin All-father was outraged. The hole that remained in place of his eye burned. He had been seated upon the throne in search of Loki. Many, many years ago Loki disappeared from his sights, last seen crawling about the ground of the gardens before he simply vanished.

 

He sent his ravens, Huginn, Munnin, and Hescamar off to search for the young prince, but with no avail. They searched all nine of the realms and further, yet could not find the prince. Even Heimdall, the gatekeeper and son of nine mothers, could not spy the prince with his all-seeing gaze.

 

The ravens searched for Loki every day, abandoning their previous duties of watching the realms. They would continue to search until they found the prince.

 

Odin did mourn the loss of his son, a small hope that Loki would one day return to Asgard. Odin could not see Loki presently, but when he watched the future, he still saw Ragnarok, and it was still Loki who unleashed it.

 

The blinding pain that currently danced around Odin's head was enough to distract him from his search. Some excruciating minutes later, the pain subsided as though it had never been there at all. The last thing Odin had seen upon the throne was an image of Loki--no longer a boy, but a man fully grown--surrounded by waves and storm, the Serpent stirred far beneath the oceans, and Loki smiled. The emotion on his face was unreadable, although Odin believed there to be malice behind that grin.

 

Odin reached out with his mind, only to find the images blank. Hlidskjalf was showing him no more pasts, presents, or futures. He called to his birds, who could no longer offer him whispers, instead they let out harsh croaks as ravens typically do.

 

By now Thor had burst into the throne room, Mjolnir in hand, having heard his father's pained screams.

 

"Father! Pray, tell me you are all right? I see no attacker and you hold no visible wounds." Thor's voice boomed. He, too, had grown. Before, a thin boy whose muscles only started to form, and now enormous and stronger than any in the realm.

 

Odin cleared is throat to rid his voice of any hoarseness it may have. "My son, it is nothing you need concern yourself with. The pain has passed."

 

"Nay, I shall not let this by. Never have I heard you sound so pained. Is the Odin-sleep upon you? Shall I fetch Mother? The healers?"

 

"None on Asgard can explain nor fix this. I must travel to the roots of Yggdrassil, where--"

 

"And I will go with you!" Thor, in the moment, had forgotten that his father _was_ still the king of Asgard and was not to be interrupted.

 

"Who will guard the kingdom? No, Thor. You will remain here. And you will tell no one of where I am headed. Inform your mother and the realm that I have gone to seek guidance from Yggdrassil, nothing more."

 

"Father, you would leave now? Surely you would see Mother before you leave."

 

"No, son. It must be done now, else it could be too late."

 

Odin left before Thor could protest. He knew his son would long to join him, but Thor knew that Asgard could not be without a king.

 

The journey to the well of truth had passed as a blur in Odin's rush to get there. The room was dark as ever, and the well remained in the centre. However, he heard no whispers from the Norns. He called out, but received no answer.

 

The All-father was thankful that the ancients would not be there to hinder his progress. He walked briskly toward the well, ready to stop at a moments notice, should the Norns appear.

 

But they did not. He reached the edge of the well without confrontation. His sweaty palms gripped the edge as he leaned over to gaze into the truths of the universe. Mere moments later an enraged scream released from his gullet. He stormed away from the well and then back to it, looking in and seeing no change in what he had before.

 

Odin had seen nothing more than water.

 

~

 

Loki continued making his way across the realms. It seemed everywhere he went, he had found another soul wronged by a past version of himself. A family united here, funds returned there. If Loki were to be honest, the smaller debts were the hardest to repay, but repay them he did.

 

Of course all the beings he helped had no idea who he was or why he had come, but they were all thankful for his assistance.

 

Some of his past life's faults, however, had not yet occurred in his time line yet.

 

An eagle who would steal the apples from Idunn's garden had be circling the edges of Asgard. Loki watched, ready to intervene if needed. But he had hoped to find a way to stop the bird without triggering any anger or ill will. That was the hardest part of his punishment, not making new enemies by mistake as he travelled.

 

In this particular case, he approached the eagle with the offering of a gift. In exchange for one of the eagle's magnificent feathers (a trivial item, but a little flattery would never hurt in a situation like this), Loki would transform the eagle into a phoenix. Tongues of flames would dance upon his golden feathers and he would remain unharmed. He would still grow and age, he could fall ill or injured and could still be killed, but with every death, he would rise again. He would be immortal in his own right, for no one knew how to slay a phoenix permanently.

 

The eagle readily accepted, for he had still not figured out a way into Idunn's garden. After the transaction was completed, the phoenix flew off to display his new beautiful feathers to the world.

 

Loki kept the feather as a memento, although he had no use for it.

 

The order he completed his tasks in mattered not to him. But as the years went on, he found his list growing small. Now, there was no way to tell for sure that everyone to have been wronged was given some form of retribution, but Loki took solace in the knowledge that he had aided all those he had encountered.

 

Midgard had been a particularly tricky realm to assist. How did he atone for attempting to subjugate an entire planet? He supposed by not actually subjugating it, but that did not feel like enough.

 

In the end, he quietly entered the lives of all the mortals that had called themselves Avengers in a past life.

 

To the spy, he became the detective that found and recognised her skills, skills that rising government organisations would abuse from her, he worked with her for quite a time while she cleaned the red from her ledger, as he too was doing.

 

To the archer, he became the friend who had been in the circus with him, with this, the prince did not stay by his side always, but he did contact the archer with enough frequency to be a pleasant constant in the man's life.

 

To the inventor, he became the research assistant that vehemently argued to pursue an advance in clean energy and way from weapons, long before the inventor could be kidnapped and tortured, he had even made sure to get that drink that Ikol had made a note of.

 

To the scientist, Loki became the janitorial staff that had caught his experiment and killed the power before the man could burden himself with a monster, the experience near killing him and thus preventing any future attempts.

 

To the soldier, he became the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who perpetually destroyed all files on the soldier, dropping him off the radar and allowing him the average life he had deserved.

 

~

 

Loki had stayed on Midgard with these mortals for the rest of their natural lives. He on occasion had to use illusions of himself when their lives interjected, but he managed to be there for these people to aid them through their problems.

 

Loki flitted through the void between the realms. He had hesitated his greatest crime for long enough, he decided, as he finally crossed the border of reality and entered the realm of Jotunheimr.


	5. Chapter Four

 

Loki had feared this moment since he first began his journey. Jotunheimr was a cold, harsh realm, and filled with beings that would see to his immediate destruction if they found him, an Aesir.

 

Although, he wasn't an Aesir, if all of Ikol's tale had been true. If the All-father had cast a glamour upon him, he supposed it would make sense he never noticed. How could he notice something different about himself that had been there as long as he could remember? 

 

He lost track of how long he sat there, searching himself for a  _ seidr _ other than his own. Needless to say, he did eventually find an intricately woven spell that covered his entire form. He pulled at the strings until part of it broke, a deep, rich blue spreading from the tips of his fingers and making its way up his forearm. Part way up his arm, however, the All-father's glamour seemed to self-repair, and the Aesir flesh took over his hand yet again.

 

He busied himself with trying to break this spell. Days and nights wasted away as he picked and pulled at the offensive magic, with no luck. He would deny that this needless prodding at the spell was just a procrastination from his goal here. 

 

When at last Loki had tried every trick he knew, which is quite a lot, he finally conceded that he could not break the spell. He was now at quite the loss, for in this lifetime he had never seen a Jotun. He had read of them during his time in Ikol's prison, but there was no way to tell if the Giants of Ikol's time looked the same as the ones of his own. 

 

As much as he had been trying to avoid frowned upon things such as sneaking around, Loki admitted that he would have to cloak himself with invisibility until he could find a Jotun and mimic their appearance.

 

His plan was easier said than done. Jotun use their control of ice to shape the world around them, giving them excellent camouflage in their icy realm. Not to be discouraged, Loki trudged through the snow and over the ice, climbing up some hills and down others. Eventually there was less snow, but the hard icy ground remained. 

 

Finally he came to a mighty cliff face. Unless he meant to fly, he would have to walk along it until he could find easier means of scaling it. As he walked, he took note that the ground seemed to be worn down in certain areas. Almost as if someone or something had frequently used this area as pathways. Naturally, following the path was the best course of action, and so he did.

 

This led him to a large hole in the side of the cliff. The hole was easily twice his height and wide enough for at least 5 Aesir to walk side-by-side without issue. The walls were smooth, the ground worn. This tunnel led up into the cliff, the slope only a little too steep for Loki to take comfortable steps. He entered the tunnel and climbed higher, thankful that whoever used it so much had made the ground rough enough so that he did not slip frequently.

 

As he climbed higher, light filled the tunnel more and more. The ice, it seemed, was very clean and pure up here, allowing natural light to shine through. The tunnel eventually levelled off, where it then became a long hallway, corridors breaking off from the sides. Loki followed the pathways on the ground, taking whichever ones seemed the most frequented and fresh. This led him to a large set of double doors with the right door slightly ajar. 

 

Loki fit easily through the opening in the door and was met with the smell of cold, fresh air. The world beyond the door was a wide, open clearing, and spread out across this clearing were thousands of Frost Giants. Many of them snarling and yelling, quite a few fighting amongst themselves, others paced impatiently. They were clearly waiting for something to happen, but what? 

 

They all gathered around what appeared to be a giant mountain of ice. It had three peaks, the central one being the largest. He moved forward and as he did, he noticed more and more about this mountain. It was quite symmetrical, and littered around it were large openings--windows?--and larger openings that had distinct ledges on them. 

 

He stopped about twenty feet from the nearest group of Jotun and really took in what they looked like. They stood, perhaps, eight or nine feet tall. Some shorter, others taller. Some had a rich, deep blue skin, smooth save for the darker blue ridges running along them. Others looked quite literally like ice giants, covered head to toe in jagged chunks of ice, or maybe they were entirely made of ice? Very few had hair, when they did it was black or a wispy grey--perhaps the elderly? What caught his attention most were the eyes, a full red, akin to the colour of blood. It seemed that Jotun had such a wide variety of features that Loki really could not have guessed wrong had he tried to create his own glamour.

 

While he was planning out what he wanted to look like, another idea came to mind. Ikol had found out of his Jotun heritage when his flesh was touched by a Jotun and did not succumb to frost burn. Wishing for the best, he strode up to a Frost Giant with the intent of brushing past it. The Giant had shifted his stance enough that Loki accidentally walked right into it, knocking him to the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his invisibility glamour in time for the Giant to turn around and glare down at him.

 

"Watch it, runt." a deep voice grunted. 

 

Loki's eyes shot open and he quickly looked himself over. So it seems his plan had worked, contacting an actual Jotun was able to break Odin's glamour.

 

"Why has everyone gathered?" He asked, foregoing the apology. From what he had seen, Jotun did not appear particularly polite with each other.

 

The Jotun grunted and nodded toward the mountain. "King had somethin' to say."

 

_ The king?  _ He thought, _ So that mountain must be a palace of some kind.  _ Loki nodded his thanks to the Giant before pushing forward in the crowd. Being smaller than all the others made it quite easy for him to get through the crowd, however it did make him feel like a small child again.

 

He ran toward the castle, shielding himself from sight as he moved. He snuck inside and tried his best to navigate the halls. Loki once again dropped his invisibility and slowed his pace. The prince walked around for a few minutes before he stopped at the roar of a guard. 

 

The Giant was covered in ice, sharp spikes of it sticking out as a from of armour. It attacked, clearly more of the 'fight first, ask questions later' type of guard.

 

Loki avoided the attacks until the Giant paused to catch his breath. Now the beast spoke,

 

"You're lost, kid."

 

"Runt, actually. I am quite fully grown."

 

It laughed. Of course it would. Being  _ small _ in a race of Giants could be nothing to brag about.

 

"What's a runt doing in here? King Laufey don't like runts too much."

 

"I'm here to see him, truthfully."

 

"Laufey won't see you. He'd probably eat you."

 

"A risk I must take, I'm afraid. You see, I bring news of his son."

 

~

 

Loki was set into a large room, very sparse in decoration, what with everything being made of ice. There was what seemed to be a long table and about thirty lumps of ice that were presumably chairs around it. Nothing hung on the walls, although the room was graced with a few windows.

 

Loki was pacing, debating whether or not to take a seat when another Giant strode in. He didn't look to be anything spectacular, most likely just another guard to cart him off elsewhere. He seemed to be average height for a Jotun, his skin was a dull blue, covered in the tribal ridges. His arms, legs and torso were covered in ice, probably to serve as armour.

 

"I was told you wanted words with me?" The Giant said. So  _ this _ was Laufey? Why was the king not crowned with jewels? All realms dressed their royalty differently, but they had the one thing in common of always having the kings don lavish attire.

 

Not missing a beat, Loki spoke up. "Yes, I brought news. I know the whereabouts of your son, stolen from you by the King of Asgard."

 

"You mean in front of me?"

 

Loki stuttered at that, struggling to form a sentence. "You... recognise me?"

 

Laufey straighten his back, holding his form like a king ought to. "You think I wouldn't know my own get?" He chuckled darkly. "I assume you would claim your inheritance then?" Loki remained silent, although a confused look now upon his face. "You are here on your own, then? Odin never told you?"

 

"No, I have not seen the All-father for a great many years."

 

"Then why have you returned, if not to claim my throne?"

 

"I came to bring your realm peace, its power renewed. I would see Jotunheimr not just thrive, but grow."

 

"Odin really has taught you nothing. The growth of my realm is what led to my rebellion. Our people emerge from the ice as well as from our wombs. Our people do not grow old, and they do not take to death easily. When we fill this barren scrap of ice to the brink with our people, we must leave."

 

"Leave?" Loki urged on.

 

"To expand. We must go to the other realms where our people would melt, but they would thrive. I would cover them, the nine realms, all of them with ice. Jotun would rule and justice would be done."

 

"There is no other way?"

 

"What would you have us do? It is our nature. Asgard is right to call us monsters. We will take until there is noting left, and even then it won't be enough."

 

"You could build up? Towers that touch the sky, as Migardians do, or perhaps down? Elaborate caverns to rival the Dwarves'."

 

"Asgard took everything from me. The Casket of Ancient Winters, the lives of my sons, he even stole you. The whelp I would have left for dead."

 

Loki wore a mask of calmness, hiding the rage he felt at these words. He came to help this blind, old fool, yet all his father wished was to seek war.

 

"I gathered them all to choose a new king. Odin forbade me any further rebellions, but a new king of Jotunheimr may be able to sneak around the All-father's word."

 

"Is they why you have not killed me yet? So that I might take your throne and lead your armies to their death? I would bring peace to the realms, not war."

 

"If you want peace, you must end our longevity. Unaging, we grow to fear nothing. We live so long and hate so strongly that war and conquer is all we have. Destroy the Casket of Ancient Winters. Ymir's frozen heart lies inside. Destroy the Casket and the heart, and we will find our mortality."

 

Loki nodded grimly. Laufey's words did make sense to him. "In another life, I might see this realm and her people destroyed."

 

At this, Laufey let out a terrible laugh. "And in another life, you would be wise. Go, runt. There is nothing you can offer this world."

 

Loki did as he was bade, and this would be the last time he sees his birth father.

 

~

 

There was only one stop left on Loki's journey: Asgard. He would destroy the Casket as Laufey had suggested, as he could see no other way to assist that realm without bringing war.

 

Before he could get anywhere close to the vault that housed Asgard's deadliest weapons, he would have to make amends with his family for they must hate him after running for so long. Would they even recognise him? 

 

Loki was so concerned over what might happen or what might not that he noticed no time pass as he arrived in Asgard.

 

Stepping out of the void, he found himself in the palace gardens.  _ It would seem Fate is trying to jest, bringing me here of all places. _ Loki strolled through the gardens leisurely. Not much had changed, trees grew taller, some flowers replaced, but the layout was exactly as he had left it all those years ago. He walked the gardens, touching every plant, admiring every tree. He was sitting in the corner of the garden where he had first met Ikol when the guards found him. Loki didn't struggle as he was dragged off to confront the king. This entrance would be as good as any other.

 

He tried his best to take in the familiar sights as he was pushed through Asgard's grand halls. The walls shone gold, on them on weapons and tapestries and paintings, various gifts from the nine realms. A second guard had joined them at some point. Gradually two more joined in as well. It seemed an odd practice for escorting one trespasser.

 

The doors to the throne room were thrown open, a loud  _ bang _ echoing through the hall. Odin All-father, of course, was there seated upon Hlidskjalf, Gungnir in hand. Loki's eyes immediately drew to the second person in the room, Frigga, seated to her husband's right. The prince's heart warmed at the sight of the woman who raised him, but that could not quell the churning of his stomach.

 

Loki was tossed to the foot of the steps leading up to the King. Odin need only take one look at the prince. 

 

"Guards, you are dismissed. I shall handle this myself."

 

Loki slowly stood and met Odin's eye. For all that the prince had grown, Odin and Frigga had not aged a day.

 

"Mother, All-father, it is good to see you again."

 

Odin's one-eyed leer held Loki in place. Frigga stood and moved over to her son, embracing him. Too long had she been without seeing up and now he returns as a man, instead of the young boy she had last embraced. Loki wrapped his arms around his mother, but held Odin's gaze from over her shoulder. 

 

Frigga pulled back and met her son's eyes, her face stained with tears. "My son, it has been far too long. For years I have missed you, I feared we would never meet again."

 

"And I, you, Mother. I am pleased to see you looking well."

 

Odin spoke up, not wishing to be ignored any longer. 

 

"Loki Odinson, you would dare return to Asgard after all these years?"

 

"Well, I had meant to write..."

 

"Silence!" Odin boomed, in no mood for Loki's attempt at light-hearted jests. "You abandoned your kin and your kingdom, fled to plot--"

 

"To what?"

 

"--the damnation of the realms--"

 

"I did no such thing!"

 

"--and the deaths of all those who would live upon them--"

 

"I left to  _ learn _ , to--"

 

"You became a mage, as I forbade--"

 

"Forbade me to? You took  _ everything _ from me!"

 

"--betraying my trust--"

 

"My books, my spells,"

 

"--and the trust of your kin--"

 

"I was surely to be discarded next!"

 

"--So I, Odin All-father, cast--"

 

"Enough!" Frigga yelled, her voice cracking slightly. "No more fighting, both of you. My love, our son has finally returned to us and you would send him away? Nay, this is a time for celebration. We shall send for Thor to return to Asgard, and we will welcome  _ both _ of our sons home."

 

"My brother is not here?" Loki all but whispered. He loved his mother quite dearly, but hs brother always held a place in his heart. While all the realm had hated Loki, Thor stood by him by choice.

 

"No, my son. Odin... When Odin told Thor of Ragnarok's prophecy, Thor chose to go to Midgard and guard the cage of Jormungandr. But no more of that. Thor will be retrieved and all will be well." Frigga wiped the tears from her eyes. "Oh, Loki. That night when you ran away, I had gone to see you. I know only of healing magics, but I would have taught them to you. Loki, my son, pray tell me. Where did you go that night?"

 

"I am sorry, Mother," Loki began. He chose to gaze at the floor, too ashamed to meet his mother's eyes. "I had to follow my destiny."

 

Odin let out a loud scoff and rose to descend the steps. "Your  _ destiny _ , Loki, is to destroy the realms! You were born to be nothing more than an insolent child who would take for granted every gift I ever gave, and in the end you would make every being suffer for your hatred!"

 

"That was  _ his _ destiny!" Loki yelled, "My soul may be borne of his, but that does not make me him!"

 

"Boy, what madness are you spewing?"

 

"Husband, this is too much!" Frigga moved to stand between her husband and adopted son. 

 

Odin struck her for the first and what would be the only time in their marriage. "Woman, enough! I am your king and I will not be ordered. Leave this hall until I have dealt with our  _ son _ ."

 

Frigga gave Loki a mournful look, but obeyed her husband in the end. An apology escaped her lips and she sent Loki one last glance. She wished to fight, but it felt as though an outside force prevented her from taking action. Odin had never used his influence as the All-father on her before, and it hurt more than the slap.

 

"All-father, you needn't have done that."

 

"You are a traitor to the realm, Loki Odinson, you--"

 

"You know nothing of what you speak, All-father! When I left, I learned things even your Norns could not tell you!"

 

Odin's glare became suspicious. "How did you know I sought the wisdom of the Norns?"

 

"I found myself lost between the worlds when I left that day. To the ruins of an older Asgard, buried beneath the sands of time."

 

"I have heard of no such place. I will not have you weave such lies in my kingdom."

 

"There was a man there, far older than me, and a few lifetimes older than even you." Odin stayed silent. "He named himself Ikol, and lived bound to a prison beyond what we perceive as time."

 

And so Loki proceeded to tell everything to Odin. Of Ikol's bargain, of what he learned from the First Asgard's library, and of the Ragnaroks that had already come to pass. He told Odin of his journeys after his time with Ikol. He could name every person he had helped if he'd wanted to, but he chose to stick with just a few. He omitted his little dalliance between worlds when he visited the Norns. Odin need not know of this yet. And finally he told Odin of what had transpired of his visit to Jotunheimr.

 

Odin took several moments to take everything in. "So you would seek to end the cycle? None of your tricks?" 

 

"All-father, I have played no tricks since my days as a boy here in Asgard. I assure you I mean to end this."

 

"And you are certain destroying the Casket will do as Laufey says and not freeze Asgard? The Jotun are not a truthful race."

 

"I could always take it to Jotunheimr and destroy it there."

 

"So be it. Loki, you will undergo a set of trials, and should you succeed them all, you will be welcomed back to Asgard as her second prince. But should you fail, you will be cast out, tethered to the roots of the world tree where you will forever be pursued by the dragon who dwells there. I, Odin All-father, make this so."

 

"I should like to speak with Mother before I begin these trials." 

 

~

 

Frigga sat in the palace gardens. The tears had run dry by now, but that did not mean she no longer feared for her son. She had not yet heard the crack of the Bifrost, and this gave her hope.

 

This is where Loki found her. To be honest, it was the first place he had checked. Loki made sure to step on some twigs and loose pebbles as he approached, he did not wish to risk startling his mother in her current state. 

 

They embraced before Loki spoke. "I was in the garden, here, when it all started. I believe I was nine or so, but I sat here in the garden. Thor's friends had said something or other that offended me, and I just left. There was this magpie, Mother, and I followed him around the garden." Excitement and nostalgia hung on Loki's voice. Frigga's smile grew with each word until her face was sore. 

 

"But that night when Odin... When the All-father stole from me all that knowledge, I found myself alone in my room. My magpie friend showed up and I followed him."

 

Loki told his mother a very similar tale to what he had told the All-father. He gave his mother every detail. She interrupted him to ask questions, all of which he was more than happy to answer. They had sat for hours, neither wishing for this to end.

 

"So, my husband has given you tasks?"

 

"Yes, the first is to destroy Ymir's heart. I must go to Jotunheimr for this. But I have time yet before I go. Please, tell me of Thor. It pains me that the brother whom I loved so dearly as a child could not be here for my return."

 

Frigga told Loki of Thor's exploits. He was a revered hero across Asgard. He grew to be charming, kind, and just. He was in preparation to ascend to the throne of Asgard when Odin had given Thor his greatest secret: Ragnarok. He told Thor how their world would end, and how Loki would unleash that torture upon the realms. Thor did not wish to believe his younger brother would do this, but dare not question the word of the All-father. Thor travelled to Midgard, took a mighty breath, and dove to the deepest part of Midgard's oceans. There he would stay until the end of time, or until Loki arrived to release the Midgard Serpent.

 

As much as Loki wished to stay with his mother, he knew the All-father would not be this patient forever. So he bade his mother farewell, and promised to see her again within the week.

 

The first trial was surprisingly easy for Loki to accomplish. Jotunheimr, despite Laufey's insistence of over population, was a sparse world and her people were few and far between. The destruction of the cask went unhindered and did not cause any calamities as Odin had feared. 

 

As for the others, they seemed like trivial tasks compared to some of his adventures. Save this city, slay this monstrosity, a personal favourite of his had been renewing the spell on the chains that held Surtur in his Muspelheimr prison.

 

Loki underwent ninety-nine trials for nine years, never once failing to complete one.

 

The day came that a celebration was to be held in Loki's honour. Loki's only concern about the day was his older brother's whereabouts. In the nine years since his return to Asgard, he had neither seen nor heard from Thor. 

 

Through all that time, Loki held on to the first Odin's eye. When Loki would return the eye to the king, stripping him of all knowledge he had ever acquired of Ragnarok, he would have his brother there.

 

Loki would return the eye at the celebration, he decided, but only if Thor would be there to see him. He felt childish, wanting for his brother's approval and forgiveness above the safety and continued existence of the realms.

 

And so Loki approached Odin, begging to delay the feast. He would refuse the All-father's generosity if he could not have his brother there beside him. 

 

"Very well, my son," Odin began, "I shall immediately send word for Thor."

 

"Father, I insist, you must let me retrieve my brother. Long have I suffered life without his presence, and I would wish nothing more than to be the one to tell him this joyous news."

 

Odin gave Loki a warm smile, agreeing to this. He sent word ahead to Heimdall, permitting him to open the Bifrost for his sons.

 

~

 

Loki arrived at earth feeling particularly giddy. Travel by Bifrost was so intense! The surge of energy, the force which pushed him forward. The Bifrost did not simply navigate the spaces between the realms, it shot a hole right through them to give the most direct passage.

 

But he had not come to Midgard to admire the method of travel. His beloved brother stood guard at the bottom of an ocean, most like kept alive by the All-father's will. Wasting no time, Loki dove into the sea.

 

Loki moved quickly through the water. Down he went, in search of his brother. Sea life all avoided him as he swam, sensing him as a far greater threat than would be worth the effort to see as a meal.

 

It was at the deepest point of Midgard's oceans he found his brother. Loki created a pocket of air large enough for both men to stand in and drew it around himself and his brother. 

 

"Loki! This is a poor decision you have made. I cannot allow you any nearer. Too close you stand already." Thor swung Mjolnir at his side, ready to fight Loki if need be. "Return to whatever realm you will, but leave this wretched place. I love you, brother, but I would see you destroyed if only to save you from yourself."

 

Loki said nothing. He had gone to retrieve his brother so that he might be there when he returns the First Odin's eye to their father. All knowledge that Odin had ever acquired through means of the Norn's gift would be forever stripped from him, and the cycle would be broken. For this act would be Loki's ultimate forgiveness. He would free Odin from the paranoid reality he was trapped in, all at the price of denying the revenge that his soul burned for him to take.

 

And he truly did forgive the man. This Loki had come to terms with Odin and all the realms. The crimes of his past life atoned for and his enemies forgiven, Loki had done all that his past lives failed to do. 

 

He thought himself content. He  _ was _ content. But he felt his heart waver. Thor would destroy him in order to save the realms? Yes. Loki saw now what needed to be done. When he returned Odin's eye, all knowledge of Ragnarok would be gone. If he forgot, Odin would no longer take extreme measures to avoid the end, measures that would actually drive them closer and closer to Ragnarok. But the end could  _ still _ happen. They would never see it coming, of course. And Loki knew deep down that it would still be him. It could only ever be him.

 

Loki had to die.

 

It was the only way. With his death, no one would ever be able to trigger Ragnarok. Odin must lose his future sight, and Loki, his life. Loki had, in every past cycle, given the life of the World Tree to keep his spirit forever alive, but in this cycle he would sacrifice his own life for the continued existence of Yggdrassil.

 

Loki now knew exactly what he would do. He knew how he would end the cycle, and he resolved to do it.

 

"Come, Brother," Loki whispered, "I would have you escort me back to Asgard. Odin has accepted me once again as his son and there is to be a celebration in my honour. If you are to live the remainder of your days in this ocean, alone, I would have one last journey with you."

 

Thor smiled ruefully and called out to Heimdall, returning the princes to Asgard.

 

~

 

All of Asgard gathered for the return of their princes. Cheers erupted from the crowds of Aesir as they watched Thor and Loki make their journey across the rainbow bridge. 

 

Loki did not bother to mask his glee as he walked the crowded streets. While much of Asgard had awaited the return of the golden prince, just as many people had been there to welcome  _ him _ back. That alone was not what brought about Loki's good mood. 

 

No, Thor was the main cause of that. Although Loki spent little time with his brother in this life, he could not help but love him. Reading about the journeys the first Thor had shared with Ikol and knowing that even after the Trickster's betrayal, Thor's spirit was drawn to loving Loki's as a brother.

 

They eventually made it to the palace, and were greeted by the All-Father and Queen, their parents. Together, the four of them strode to the main feasting hall where the royals and dignitaries all sat.

 

Odin spoke to the crowd, personally announcing the return of his sons and encouraging the realm to welcome them as well.

 

The feast itself lasted throughout the night and into the early hours of the morning. Loki had not yet revealed his gift for Odin, wishing for an appropriate time, yet also nervous about the outcome. 

 

Thor now took it upon himself to address the room and all its people.

 

"Friends! Shield-brothers! And of course, my honoured family!" He looked about the room, his voice carried loud and clear. Only when he noticed all eyes set on him did he continue. "My friends, I had been prepared to see my duty to the end of days. I would guard the serpent Jormungandr to ensure the beast never enters our realm."

 

The room fell quiet. Merriment seemingly gone.

 

"But this welcome? This joy that you show for my brother? The same brother that we all wrongly believed to be the evil that would destroy us. I forgive him now, as I always will, but with the support of Asgard behind me, I may once again trust Loki to be the kind-hearted boy he once was. 

 

"And so, I shall stay here in Asgard. If my realm need not fear my brother's wrath, then I have no reason to leave her to needlessly guard a cage."

 

The room exploded in cheers. For today, they had not one, but both of Asgard's princes returned to them for good.

 

Loki was at a loss for words. He spent the remainder of the celebration in silence, never giving his gift to Odin.

 

~

 

After the celebration and Thor's unexpected announcement, Loki and his brother walked alone in one of Asgard's many halls. Loki had been so prepared to have Thor take his leave of this realm that he knew not what to do with his own life now. Loki could not bear a burden such as this. He would not take his own life while his brother still walked Asgard. 

 

"Brother! T'is a time of merriment, I shall not have you looking so grieved."

 

"It has been a long day, brother mine."

 

"Nay, it is not a look of exhaustion you bear, I would know what has you feeling this way."

 

Loki hesitated. He drew Ikol's journal out, having always kept it on his person. "Thor, had you known what I have learned, you would never have chosen to stay."

 

"And why not? You have been welcomed back to Asgard as my brother. Surely you cannot be the monster our father predicted you to be? Loki, I can see you are good at your core, there is nothing in the nine realms that would separate me from my little brother again."

 

"I... No. Thor, has father fully explained to you what Ragnarok is?"

 

"Aye, t'is the end of the nine realms."

 

"Not so much, brother. Ragnarok is the  _ rebirth _ of the nine realms. When events do not pass as they should, I am destined to put an end to it."

 

"Nonsense!"

 

"It is a destiny bound to my spirit. Odin has wronged me in every cycle, and I have taken my anger, my destruction out on the nine realms he holds so dear."

 

"Brother, it seems you have sipped on too much mead. Perhaps you ought to retire?"

 

"No, Thor. This is the time for this discussion, I fear." Loki broke off from his tale only briefly. "But there has been one solace in all of my lives, Thor, and it has been you. While Odin has met me with hatred, you greeted me only with kindness."

 

"Because you are my brother, and I love you."

 

Loki held out the journal towards his brother. "Here, take this. Take it and read it. This is the journal of the first Loki, I pray that one day I might sit down and write my own journal as the last."

 

And Thor did read the journal. For days and nights he read every word. Read of how the two brothers had been raised together, played together, fought together. He read of the treacheries the younger had committed and how he had been punished for his crimes. Thor read and saw just how dark and how twisted this first Loki's mind, heart, and soul became. When at last he finished the journal, he made to return it to his brother.

 

"Loki, I have read the pages of this journal."

 

"And?" Loki prompted bitterly. "How do you feel of Ikol's journeys? Of mine? For I am him, only bound to a new physical form. Just as you are his brother, now bound to this world."

 

"I forgive you, and him, brother. Just as I did in the past. And just as I will do every day. I am not leaving Asgard, not unless you do. I shall be by your side and you will never become the creature of hatred you once were."

 

"Brother, go. If you will not, then I must. I cannot stay here and bask in the unwavering love you show for me. If we both must stay, then hate me. For I, in all my lives, have done nothing to warrant such devotion from another."

 

"Loki, I have read your past and even if these pages are true, I will still love you as my brother. I have long since forgiven your transgressions, just as this Ikol's brother had forgiven his."

 

"How can you forgive me if I cannot even forgive myself?" Loki's voice was barely a whisper.

 

"You are my brother, though not by blood, and I will stand by you until the end of our days."

 

Loki took a few steps back, his heart begging him to run.

 

"I have to die, Thor, for this to end."

 

"Again, brother, you speak nonsense."

 

"And this," Loki drew out the blackened eye of the first Odin, "This is the eye that Ikol's All-father dropped into the Well of Truth. If I give this to Odin, then all that was ever known about Ragnarok shall vanish."

 

"And this is good, yes? Ragnarok will never come to pass if this happens?"

 

"No, you oaf," Loki did his best to sound angry, but he was far too exhausted, "the prophecy is still there, only now we won't know when it shall transpire. To stop the end, Odin must return his knowledge, and I must die."

 

"Loki!"

 

"It is true, Thor. For I am destined. But I cannot die, not now. Not knowing that you truly forgive me. I could not do that to you, Thor. Unworthy of your love as I am, I could not hurt you in this way. For when I die in this form, my soul will be gone forever."

 

And with that, Loki teleported himself out of the palace. He found himself standing in the middle of the rainbow bridge. He did not know how long he stood there, debating whether to go to the Bifrost and have Heimdall send him on his way, or whether he should fall from the edge into the void, as Ikol had.

 

Loki stared out into the void, prepared to leave Asgard behind him. Thor now rushed to him, words flew from his mouth, but Loki could not hear them.

 

Thor had read the journal, had read about the vile and twisted nature Loki spent so long learning to suppress. But he could not hold out forever, for who knew how long the Jotun and his Aesir brother would live without the looming Ragnarok.

 

In his hand, Loki still held onto the eye. He longed to give it to Thor, to have his brother return the eye to Odin while Loki took the plunge into the abyss that awaits him in the void. He looked up and met Thor's eyes. Had his brother still been talking? He never noticed.

 

Loki held out the eye, at first in Thor's direction and then over the edge of the bridge. He had spent most all of his life to avoid this moment, but with a sigh he told Thor,

 

"Brother, your love is what has kept me going through all these cycles. I had been prepared to leave it behind, but I now know I can't."

 

Thor yelled some more, though Loki could still not hear.

 

"I am sorry, Thor, but I am not prepared to lose this love forever."

 

Loki released his hold on the obsidian sphere that was the first Odin's eye. Down into the void it fell, through space and time. Loki had prayed the Norns would catch it, that they would keep their prize so that one day a new Loki might save the realms.

 

~

 

The eye exited the void above water. It plummeted into the deep, growing heavier and sinking faster the closer it got to its goal. Down and down it went, until at last the bottom of this expanse could be found. Moving faster still, it shot through the seals that bound the Serpent to its cage. Jormungandr had been freed and in a surge of power, he followed the trail the eye had left in the void.

 

~

 

The universe around him flew to chaos and destruction, and inevitably collapsed. This Loki had failed, just as the first had. He had come close, close enough that he had tasted the glory and the freedom. 

 

Aeons passed and new realms came to be. With these worlds came new life and new stories. 

 

An Aesir king walked the roots of the world tree, and somewhere an old, mad Trickster laughed. The Trickster would laugh for all of time, and for all of time, he would remain alone.

 


End file.
